June 10, 2011 Explore Minnesota Birding Report
The first half of June is an excellent time to travel Minnesota's shallow prairie marshes by canoe or kayak to view the abundant waterfowl and other wildlife. Watch for grebes, coots, ducks, geese, swans, blackbirds and wrens, as well as minks, raccoons, otters, turtles, and other animals that inhabit these wet areas. While many sites can be viewed from a road or shoreline, a canoe or kayak offers a much more memorable experience. For more information, check out the DNR Minnesota Wetlands homepage.
The following information has been provided courtesy of the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. This report is brought to you by ExploreMinnesota.com.
Subscribe here to receive any or all of our reports by email or RSS/news feed.
The following is a list of recent, significant sightings:
On June 6, Chris Wood spotted a Mississippi Kite over Lake Girard Park in the city of Bloomington in Hennepin County. Paul Egeland saw a White-Eyed Vireo here earlier in the day.
On the 7th, a Whimbrel was on the Park Point ball fields in the city of Duluth in St. Louis County. On the following day, as many as eight Red-Throated Loons were on Lake Superior just off the main beach.
On June 9, three Plegadis Ibis were seen by Betsy Beneke as they flew over I-94 at Mile Marker 76, south of Fergus Falls in Otter Tail County.
Also on the 9th, Shawn Conrad found a few Yellow Rails in Aitkin County at the McGregor marsh. The birds were calling on the west side of State Highway 65 just over one-tenth of a mile south of State Highway 210.
A Northern Mockingbird was at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park in Lake County on the 5th. It was seen in a field opposite the visitor center.
Information in this statewide birding report is provided by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU), Minnesota's oldest and largest bird club. To submit a bird sighting, email the MOU birding report compiler at rba@moumn.org.
